Dhaka Division made a giant leap towards regaining the National Cricket League title with an eight-wicket win over Barisal in the sixth round in Chittagong on Tuesday.
With only one round to go, Dhaka took their tally to 112 points, 22 ahead of their nearest rivals Rajshahi, who crushed Chittagong inside three days in a record-filled match in BKSP.
Maximum 25 points are achievable in a match, which means Dhaka will be crowned champions if they can get just four points from their last game against defending champions Khulna at Cox’s Bazar.
Khulna kept their hopes of finishing runners-up alive beating Dhaka Metropolis by five wickets while Rangpur thrashed Sylhet by 314 runs.
Dhaka v Barisal
Dhaka, who had a sizable 120-run first innings lead, rode on four wickets of left-arm spinner Nazmul Apu claimed to dismiss Barisal for 229 runs setting up an easy 110-run winning target for them.
Rony Talukdar remained unbeaten 47 and first innings centurion Taiabur Parvez made 31 as Dhaka reached 112 in 23.3 overs to finish the game an hour into the lunch break on the fourth day.
Rajshahi v Chittagong
Rajshahi posted a massive 403-run win over Chittagong owing to their 467-run first innings lead in BKSP.
Rajshahi folded Chittagong for 208 runs in the first innings but decided against forcing follow on. Mushfiqur Rahim, who scored just six runs in the first innings, remained unbeaten on 54 as Rajshahi declared their second innings on 128-2 to give Chittagong an improbable 596-run winning target.
Chittagong, who were looking to save the game, suffered a blow when their star opener Tamim Iqbal sustained a wrist injury and left the crease after scoring just one run.
Rajshahi skipper Mushfiqur Rahim also left the field during the fourth over, but it did not stop the side cruising to the win as Chittagong conceded defeat having reached 192-8.
Dhaka Metro v Khulna
National spinner Abdur Razzak claimed 13 wickets in a match including 9-91 in the second innings as Khulna recorded a five-wicket win over Dhaka Metro at Cox’s Bazar.
In a keenly contested game at the seaside venue, Khulna dismissed Dhaka Metro for 243 runs despite Shamsur Rahman making 84 and number 10 Sohid adding an unbeaten 52.
Khulna, who had 41 runs first innings lead, got a target of 203 runs and they achieved it without serious trouble as veteran Tushar Imran and young Mithun Ali shared 157 runs for the fourth wicket.
Mithun was out for 75 but Tushar went on to finish the game remaining 107 not out.
Rangpur v Sylhet
Rangpur got an easy win after they dismissed Sylhet for 162 runs in the second innings at the outer stadium in Fatullah. Rangpur also folded Sylhet for 143 runs in the first innings to gain a 248-run lead, but they decided against enforcing follow on.
They declared second inning at 228-6 with Ariful Haque making 58 and Nasir Hossain contributing 47.
Set a target of 477 runs, Sylhet stuttered from beginning, reaching 58-4 at close on the third day. They lost their remaining six wickets on the fourth and final day on Tuesday to suffer their third defeat in the tournament.
The seventh and last round matches will begin on April 19.
Points Table
Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Pts
Dhaka 6 4 1 0 1 112
Rajshahi 6 3 0 0 3 90
Khulna 6 2 0 0 4 80
Rangpur 6 2 1 0 3 70
Sylhet 6 2 3 0 1 65
Dhaka Metro 6 1 3 0 2 57
Chittagong 6 1 3 0 2 42
Barisal 6 0 4 0 2 29
BRIEF SCORES
Dhaka Metro v Khulna Division
Khulna Division 2nd innings 206-5 in 48.5 overs (Tushar 107 not out, Mithun 75; Arafat 2-36) & 1st innings 213 in 81.4 overs v Dhaka Metro 2nd innings 243 in 84.2 overs (Shamsur 84, Shohid 52 not out; A Razzak 9-91) & 1st innings 172 in 70.5 overs.
Result: Khulna Division won by 5 wickets.
Man of the match: A Razzak (KD)
*********
Barisal Division v Dhaka Division
Dhaka Division 2nd innings 112-2 in 23.3 overs (Rony Talukdar 47 not out, Majid 33, Taiabur 31; Monir 2-36) & 1st innings 443 in 125.5 overs v Barisal Division 2nd innings 229 in 64.4 overs (Salman 62, Shahin 41; Nazmul 4-45, Sabbir 2-14) & 1st innings 323 in 79.2 overs.
Result: Dhaka Division won by 8 wickets.
Man of the match: Taiabur Parvez (DD)
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Rajshahi Division v Chittagong Division
Rajshahi Division 2nd innings 128-2 in 14 overs (Mushfiq 54 not out, Forhad Hossain 40 not out) & 1st innings 675-9 dec in 135.3 overs v Chittagong Division 2nd innings 192-8 in 43.4 overs (Mominul 75, Mehedi Hasan 35; Sanjamul 3-29, Forhad Hossain 2-63) & 1st innings 165-7 in 41 overs.
Result: Rajshahi Division won by 403 runs.
Man of the match: Farhad Reza (RD)
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Rangpur Division v Sylhet Davison
Rangpur Division 2nd innings 228-6 in 54 overs (Ariful 58 not out, Nasir 47; Nasum 3-63) & 1st innings 391 in 132.4 overs v Sylhet Division 2nd innings 162 in 46.3 overs (Saker 31, Rajin 23; Sajedul 4-36, Mahmudul 3-35) & 1st innings 132-7 in 45 overs.
Result: Rangpur Division won by 314 runs.
Man of the match: N Islam (RD)
-With New Age input
